Telegraph-key



(No Mo deL) E; S. ORULL. TELEGRAPH KEY.

No. 413,848, Patented 0011.29, 1889.

J. 9 vfi WITNESSES: INVENTOR A rromvy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE s. cRU L, OF MOUNT CARMEL, ILLINOIS.

TELEG RAPH-KEY.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,848, dated October 29, 1889.

' Application filed March 21, 1889. Serial No. f1 .106. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that, I, EUGENE S.VCRULL, of Mount Carmel, in the county of Wabash and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Telegraph-Key, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming a part thereof, in which Figure 1' is a side elevation of my improved telegraph-key. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section taken on line in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view, and Fig. 4is an inverted sec- V tional plan view.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views. The object of my invention is to construct a simple compact telegraph-key adapted to work on roller-bearings, thereby avoiding the rattle and sticking common to ordinary keys.

My invention consists in a key-lever provided With an annular bearing, the head or support having adjusting-screws for supportvided with a hood 17, extending upwardly from the base-plate, and having in opposite sides two threaded apertures c, in which are inserted the screws 0. The adjoining ends of the screws Care grooved circumferel'itially to form bearings for the balls d.

The key-lever B is provided with an annular interiorly-grooved end 6, which rides upon the balls d, which in turn roll in the grooves formed in the inner ends of the screws 0. The adjustment of the bearing of the balls is secured by turning up one or both of the screws C. i

The key-lever B is provided with an upwardly-extending arm f, which strikes the limitscrew 9, inserted in anear h, projecting upward from the hood I). The key-lever B extends downwardly, and is provided withan ofiset- -lating-washer o.

wing-nut 1).

arm '6, which extends outward parallel with the plane of the base-plate a. It isalso provided with an inwardly-turned arm j. The arm qlis provided at its free end with a finger-piece 1c,

and between the said finger-piece and the pivoted end of the lever is inserted an ad-v justing-screw Z, which bears upon the retractile spring m, placed between the said screw 1 and the base-plated. In apertures in the base-plate a is inserted the screw-threaded head n of the tubular leg 0, the said leg being 19 is placed a contact-disk r, and above the contact-disk r is arranged the circuit-closing key .9, which, together with thesaid disk, is held in place 'upon the leg 19 by the screw- 13, inserted in the said leg, and the washer u, placed between the screw and the circuitclosing key. The said contact-disk r is insulated from the head 07. of the legp by an insu- On the lower end of the leg 1) is placed a nut w, between which and the lower end of the leg 0 isplaced a washer a of insulatin g material, and the-said washer and nut are not threaded exteriorly, but are enough less in diameter to permitthe passage of the Upon the outer leg 0 is placed the wing-nut b and a washer c, and upon the leg 1) is placed a Wing-nut d and the washer e. The base-plate a is provided with a contact f for the circuit-closing lever s and an insulated pin to prevent lever s contacting with hood I) when circuit-closing lever s is away from contact f. The key is placed in the 'table by inserting the leg 0 in a hole bored in the table to receive it, and clamping the said leg by means of the wing-nut b, at the same time forming a contact with the conductor which is placed between the washer c and the under surface of the table. The remaining conductor is inserted between the washer e and the nut 40, and is clamped by turning the wing-nut d. The key is used after opening the circuit and moving the circuit-closing key 8 away from the contact-key f by depressing it in the usual way, thereby bringing the contact-arm j against the contact-disk '1', closing the circuit so that the current flows from the leg 0 through the baseplate a to the hood I), the screws 0, the balls d, the key-lever B, the contact-arm j, the contact-disk 0', and the inner leg 19. By employing ball-bearings for the key B lateral motion and sticking or binding of bearings of the key is avoided and easy adjustment is provided by which the wear may be taken up at any time.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to seen re by Letters Patent- 1. In a telegraph-key, the combination, with the key-lever B, provided with the annular internally-grooved end e, of the screws 0, provided with grooved inner ends, the balls d, placed between the ends of the screws C and the annular ends e of the key-lever, and the supports and electrical connections, substantially as specified.

2. In a telegraph-key, the combination of the head A, provided with the apertured and internally-threaded base-plate a, the tubular leg 0, the inner leg 19, the insulation separating the two legs, the contact-disk I', and the circuit-closing lever s, placed upon the inner leg 19, the key-lever B, provided with the contact-arm f and the internally-grooved annular end 6, the grooved screws 0, and the balls (1, substantially as specified.

3. In a telegraph-key, the combination of the head A, provided with the apertured and internally-threaded base-plate a, the tubular leg 0, the inner leg p, the insulation separating the two legs, the contact-disk a" and the circuitrclosing lever s, placed upon the inner leg 19, the key-lever B, provided with the contact-arm f and the internally-grooved annular end e, the grooved screws C, the balls (1, the limit-screw g, and the retractile spring m, substantially as specified.

EUGENE S. CRULL.

Witnesses:

G. A. WRIGHT, L. P. BAKER. 

